Big XII Expansion

Discuss anything else athletic or non-athletic related that doesn't belong on the main Tulane athletics forum.
DfromCT
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jonathanjoseph wrote:
DfromCT wrote:The other thing to keep in mind is the Big 12 made it clear months ago they were happy with the status quo. This is not new information! When they told BYU to hit the bricks, they made it clear that having 10 schools splitting the pie was preferable to being able to have a conference championship game but splitting the $$ 12 ways. Right now Tulane would be a Big 12 bottom feeder. We would take more than we'd contribute. Grow the fan base (and this isn't a discussion about Yulman Capacity PLEASE DON"T GO THERE) and sell out Yulman for a few years, force expansion and WIN. 52nd TV Market and fertile recruiting ground are NOT going to get us in. Go bowling 4 or 5 years in a row and take some P5 scalps (GaTech would be a good one!) along the way. Then, and only then, will Tulane have a chance.
D, The math changes with the TV network. You may not be impressed by the 52nd TV market, but the alternative is zero. When they are negotiating the media rights, either they will be able to add the 52nd size TV market (which is #1 for college football) or nothing. Do you want a bigger audience for your product or no? That's the math. Even if Tulane athletics sucks, we'd bring them a TV market and combined with ability to hold a conference championship game (and very possibly the location of that championship game), which means we would bring plenty to the table.

The fan base has apparently TRIPLED since the last time you said we had no chance until we grow the fan base. Bowling 4 or 5 years in a row? If we go bowling this year we're going to be top 25 vote getting to start next season, the fan base will grow yet again and Tulane will be a prime candidate soon.

Do we have the facilities we need?

JJ, it's not the 52nd (it's actually 53 now!) market or nothing. It's the 52nd market vs. the #30 market (UConn) or #19 Market (UCF) or #13 market (USF) #34 market (Cincinnati) #10 market (Houston). There's a lot of other choices out there, and lots of other places that are hotbeds of recruiting, particularly FL and TX.

This is why I think we have a better shot of Aresco getting the AAC back to the status that the Big East enjoyed as a Power Conference. We've had this argument before and selling out a small stadium for the opening game doesn't make Tulane the honored guest at the ball.


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jonathanjoseph
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DfromCT wrote:
jonathanjoseph wrote:
DfromCT wrote:The other thing to keep in mind is the Big 12 made it clear months ago they were happy with the status quo. This is not new information! When they told BYU to hit the bricks, they made it clear that having 10 schools splitting the pie was preferable to being able to have a conference championship game but splitting the $$ 12 ways. Right now Tulane would be a Big 12 bottom feeder. We would take more than we'd contribute. Grow the fan base (and this isn't a discussion about Yulman Capacity PLEASE DON"T GO THERE) and sell out Yulman for a few years, force expansion and WIN. 52nd TV Market and fertile recruiting ground are NOT going to get us in. Go bowling 4 or 5 years in a row and take some P5 scalps (GaTech would be a good one!) along the way. Then, and only then, will Tulane have a chance.
D, The math changes with the TV network. You may not be impressed by the 52nd TV market, but the alternative is zero. When they are negotiating the media rights, either they will be able to add the 52nd size TV market (which is #1 for college football) or nothing. Do you want a bigger audience for your product or no? That's the math. Even if Tulane athletics sucks, we'd bring them a TV market and combined with ability to hold a conference championship game (and very possibly the location of that championship game), which means we would bring plenty to the table.

The fan base has apparently TRIPLED since the last time you said we had no chance until we grow the fan base. Bowling 4 or 5 years in a row? If we go bowling this year we're going to be top 25 vote getting to start next season, the fan base will grow yet again and Tulane will be a prime candidate soon.

Do we have the facilities we need?

JJ, it's not the 52nd (it's actually 53 now!) market or nothing. It's the 52nd market vs. the #30 market (UConn) or #19 Market (UCF) or #13 market (USF) #34 market (Cincinnati) #10 market (Houston). There's a lot of other choices out there, and lots of other places that are hotbeds of recruiting, particularly FL and TX.

This is why I think we have a better shot of Aresco getting the AAC back to the status that the Big East enjoyed as a Power Conference. We've had this argument before and selling out a small stadium for the opening game doesn't make Tulane the honored guest at the ball.
They already have the Houston market and likely have no interest in UConn for geographic reasons, among others. So they need to add two (to get that TV network) and we're one of three options. Did we just spend $70M to build facilities that ensure that we won't be chosen? Because you keep belitting the progress, but it sure looks like we're moving up quickly with the on-field program and ticket sales/fan base.
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click on the link and "write" in Tulane University
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleg ... it-add.ece
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I am sick of hearing about this and posting it. U La La is next to get into the Big 12. Please stop it!
golfnut69
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I guess Tulane and LaLAf did not give the DFW press a photo op

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleg ... ansion.ece
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mbawavefan12
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Notice all the facility talk, just saying. These were my highlights.

Cons: Cincinnati's stadium has a relatively small capacity, though expansion would bring it up to over 40,000 in 2015. More expansion plans would be needed, otherwise the Bearcats would play more and more at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Bengals

The Tigers also only average 36,162 fans per game — good in the AAC but not up to Big 12 standards (Kansas averaged a league-worst 43,485).
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mbawavefan12 wrote:Notice all the facility talk, just saying. These were my highlights.

Cons: Cincinnati's stadium has a relatively small capacity, though expansion would bring it up to over 40,000 in 2015. More expansion plans would be needed, otherwise the Bearcats would play more and more at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Bengals

The Tigers also only average 36,162 fans per game — good in the AAC but not up to Big 12 standards (Kansas averaged a league-worst 43,485).
Unfortunately, you can't just look at numbers. If Kansas played the same schedule we played the last two years, with similar results, they wouldn't draw half that. Put Tulane in the Big 12, give us Kansas' schedule, give us a couple of winning seasons, and we'd be drawing a legit 40K as well.
mbawavefan12
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RobertM320 wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:Notice all the facility talk, just saying. These were my highlights.

Cons: Cincinnati's stadium has a relatively small capacity, though expansion would bring it up to over 40,000 in 2015. More expansion plans would be needed, otherwise the Bearcats would play more and more at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Bengals

The Tigers also only average 36,162 fans per game — good in the AAC but not up to Big 12 standards (Kansas averaged a league-worst 43,485).
Unfortunately, you can't just look at numbers. If Kansas played the same schedule we played the last two years, with similar results, they wouldn't draw half that. Put Tulane in the Big 12, give us Kansas' schedule, give us a couple of winning seasons, and we'd be drawing a legit 40K as well.
Ya but how do you get an invite with a 23k stadium......is the B12 just going to throw us a bone so we can expand?
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RobertM320
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mbawavefan12 wrote:
RobertM320 wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:Notice all the facility talk, just saying. These were my highlights.

Cons: Cincinnati's stadium has a relatively small capacity, though expansion would bring it up to over 40,000 in 2015. More expansion plans would be needed, otherwise the Bearcats would play more and more at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Bengals

The Tigers also only average 36,162 fans per game — good in the AAC but not up to Big 12 standards (Kansas averaged a league-worst 43,485).
Unfortunately, you can't just look at numbers. If Kansas played the same schedule we played the last two years, with similar results, they wouldn't draw half that. Put Tulane in the Big 12, give us Kansas' schedule, give us a couple of winning seasons, and we'd be drawing a legit 40K as well.
Ya but how do you get an invite with a 23k stadium......is the B12 just going to throw us a bone so we can expand?
No, that wasn't my point. You can't look at Memphis, or Tulane, for that matter, and compare their attendance to a P5 school playing a P5 schedule. They draw better just by the very nature of their schedule. Which is back to what many of us have been saying for the last 20 years. A better schedule draws more fans, and also better recruits, thereby bringing better results. And then, all things being equal, Tulane with the New Orleans market becomes more attractive than Kansas with the Lawrence, KS market. I realize we may be too late, but that's the opportunity we've lost due to Cowen and Dickson.
mbawavefan12
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RobertM320 wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:
RobertM320 wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:Notice all the facility talk, just saying. These were my highlights.

Cons: Cincinnati's stadium has a relatively small capacity, though expansion would bring it up to over 40,000 in 2015. More expansion plans would be needed, otherwise the Bearcats would play more and more at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Bengals

The Tigers also only average 36,162 fans per game — good in the AAC but not up to Big 12 standards (Kansas averaged a league-worst 43,485).
Unfortunately, you can't just look at numbers. If Kansas played the same schedule we played the last two years, with similar results, they wouldn't draw half that. Put Tulane in the Big 12, give us Kansas' schedule, give us a couple of winning seasons, and we'd be drawing a legit 40K as well.
Ya but how do you get an invite with a 23k stadium......is the B12 just going to throw us a bone so we can expand?
No, that wasn't my point. You can't look at Memphis, or Tulane, for that matter, and compare their attendance to a P5 school playing a P5 schedule. They draw better just by the very nature of their schedule. Which is back to what many of us have been saying for the last 20 years. A better schedule draws more fans, and also better recruits, thereby bringing better results. And then, all things being equal, Tulane with the New Orleans market becomes more attractive than Kansas with the Lawrence, KS market. I realize we may be too late, but that's the opportunity we've lost due to Cowen and Dickson.
No I understood and you are right regarding the Memphis quote. The Cinci quote (as well as other talk on facility size) is still relevant. The B12 would have to be incredibly desperate to accept a school with a 23k seat stadium, no matter the market or on field results. They are not going to dilute their payout and throw us a bone so we can play in the Dome for a year and perhaps expand. Even getting to 40k with the footprint of Yulman might be impossible, yet some are mocking Cinci's 40k in regards to their B12 bid. Never mind Devlin.
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Big 12 looking in the direction of the biggest TV markets.
http://www.news-press.com/story/sports/ ... /20227743/
Once the Big 12 gets a foothold in Florida, they don't need a second. Even though Tampa is a top-15 TV market (13), Denver (Colorado State) is 18th. East Carolina on paper brings Charlotte (24) and Raleigh-Durham (27). Middle Tennessee has Nashville (29) and BYU brings Salt Lake City (33) and beyond.
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mbawavefan12 wrote:
RobertM320 wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:Notice all the facility talk, just saying. These were my highlights.

Cons: Cincinnati's stadium has a relatively small capacity, though expansion would bring it up to over 40,000 in 2015. More expansion plans would be needed, otherwise the Bearcats would play more and more at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Bengals

The Tigers also only average 36,162 fans per game — good in the AAC but not up to Big 12 standards (Kansas averaged a league-worst 43,485).
Unfortunately, you can't just look at numbers. If Kansas played the same schedule we played the last two years, with similar results, they wouldn't draw half that. Put Tulane in the Big 12, give us Kansas' schedule, give us a couple of winning seasons, and we'd be drawing a legit 40K as well.
Ya but how do you get an invite with a 23k stadium......is the B12 just going to throw us a bone so we can expand?
That sure seems to be TU's posture. As in hoping for a major conference to come along and "throw a bone." So that TU can make some $$ and avoid red ink with the sports teams.
Tulane sports: small football stadium, very small basketball arena, w̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶s̶, h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ , but, hey, now there's tailgating.
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mbawavefan12 wrote:The B12 would have to be incredibly desperate to accept a school with a 23k seat stadium, no matter the market or on field results. They are not going to dilute their payout and throw us a bone so we can play in the Dome for a year and perhaps expand. Even getting to 40k with the footprint of Yulman might be impossible, yet some are mocking Cinci's 40k in regards to their B12 bid. Never mind Devlin.
Yes, exactly. They would have to be desperate beyond desperate.

And I'm pretty sure where I saw where the conference commissioner had said that expanding their conference just so that they would have 12 teams was "one of the poorest reasons" for expansion that there is.
Tulane sports: small football stadium, very small basketball arena, w̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶s̶, h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ , but, hey, now there's tailgating.
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Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.
mbawavefan12
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Dr. Rosenrosen wrote:Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.

Seriously look at our records over the pat five years, it's laughable that the B12 would throw us $30mm a year so we can rebuild our athletics just so their fans can visit Bourbon Street every year and play a championship game in the Dome. Though this is why the past five years putrid performances are even larger than past TU screw ups because of the changing landscape. If we even put together mediocre seasons with 1st round NCAA exits (or NITs) and a crap bowl each year, we would be in the conversation. It so depressing.
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mbawavefan12 wrote:
Dr. Rosenrosen wrote:Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.

Seriously look at our records over the pat five years, it's laughable that the B12 would throw us $30mm a year so we can rebuild our athletics just so their fans can visit Bourbon Street every year and play a championship game in the Dome. Though this is why the past five years putrid performances are even larger than past TU screw ups because of the changing landscape. If we even put together mediocre seasons with 1st round NCAA exits (or NITs) and a crap bowl each year, we would be in the conversation. It so depressing.
EXACTLY RIGHT. We're out of the conversation because of our consistently below mediocre performance. Our teams across the board have pretty much stunk for quite a while.
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mbawavefan12 wrote:
Dr. Rosenrosen wrote:Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.

Seriously look at our records over the pat five years, it's laughable that the B12 would throw us $30mm a year so we can rebuild our athletics just so their fans can visit Bourbon Street every year and play a championship game in the Dome. Though this is why the past five years putrid performances are even larger than past TU screw ups because of the changing landscape. If we even put together mediocre seasons with 1st round NCAA exits (or NITs) and a crap bowl each year, we would be in the conversation. It so depressing.
They aren't going to "throw anyone a bone". They know that with $30M additional revenue per year, you can do a lot to build a program, so they would be betting on the come.

That being said, your bigger point is more relevant. If we were anything but a laughingstock and a clown show we'd probably be on the short list right now.
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jonathanjoseph wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:
Dr. Rosenrosen wrote:Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.

Seriously look at our records over the pat five years, it's laughable that the B12 would throw us $30mm a year so we can rebuild our athletics just so their fans can visit Bourbon Street every year and play a championship game in the Dome. Though this is why the past five years putrid performances are even larger than past TU screw ups because of the changing landscape. If we even put together mediocre seasons with 1st round NCAA exits (or NITs) and a crap bowl each year, we would be in the conversation. It so depressing.
They aren't going to "throw anyone a bone". They know that with $30M additional revenue per year, you can do a lot to build a program, so they would be betting on the come.

That being said, your bigger point is more relevant. If we were anything but a laughingstock and a clown show we'd probably be on the short list right now.
I consider that throwing us a bone. Like "Hey we have all these other programs that are winning and selling tickets. Many in fertile recruiting areas and larger markets, but hey fans love NOLA so here's $30mm to get things rolling."
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The new OCS alone will kill any chance at a major conference invite.
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jonathanjoseph wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:
Dr. Rosenrosen wrote:Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.

Seriously look at our records over the pat five years, it's laughable that the B12 would throw us $30mm a year so we can rebuild our athletics just so their fans can visit Bourbon Street every year and play a championship game in the Dome. Though this is why the past five years putrid performances are even larger than past TU screw ups because of the changing landscape. If we even put together mediocre seasons with 1st round NCAA exits (or NITs) and a crap bowl each year, we would be in the conversation. It so depressing.
They aren't going to "throw anyone a bone". They know that with $30M additional revenue per year, you can do a lot to build a program, so they would be betting on the come.

That being said, your bigger point is more relevant. If we were anything but a laughingstock and a clown show we'd probably be on the short list right now.
If the Big 12 were to invite a new member whose football team manages to post a winning season once every 10 years or so and whose bball team hasn't been in the NCAA Tournament in almost 20 years and has attendance for football of as much as around 23,000 only for the home opener and the homecoming game and barely draws 1000, if even that much, for most bball games then it's really hard to imagine that they would not be the laughingstock of the college sports world.
Tulane sports: small football stadium, very small basketball arena, w̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶s̶, h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ , but, hey, now there's tailgating.
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mbawavefan12 wrote:
jonathanjoseph wrote:
mbawavefan12 wrote:
Dr. Rosenrosen wrote:Given Tulane's track record the past 15 years, I'll eat my hat if Tulane gets a Big 12 invite. It's been a total clown show with Cowen/Dickson.

Seriously look at our records over the pat five years, it's laughable that the B12 would throw us $30mm a year so we can rebuild our athletics just so their fans can visit Bourbon Street every year and play a championship game in the Dome. Though this is why the past five years putrid performances are even larger than past TU screw ups because of the changing landscape. If we even put together mediocre seasons with 1st round NCAA exits (or NITs) and a crap bowl each year, we would be in the conversation. It so depressing.
They aren't going to "throw anyone a bone". They know that with $30M additional revenue per year, you can do a lot to build a program, so they would be betting on the come.

That being said, your bigger point is more relevant. If we were anything but a laughingstock and a clown show we'd probably be on the short list right now.
I consider that throwing us a bone. Like "Hey we have all these other programs that are winning and selling tickets. Many in fertile recruiting areas and larger markets, but hey fans love NOLA so here's $30mm to get things rolling."
That would be an investment, which is entirely different from "throwing us a bone".
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MicMan wrote:The new OCS alone will kill any chance at a major conference invite.
Correct.
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This from across the street. Is he real or just Green Wave in disguise?
Hey guys - Kansas Jayhawk alumnus here...just lurking to get the pulse of you folks and the possibility of the Big 12 expanding. I will say the idea of Tulane is gaining traction on Big 12-specific fan forums. Some...many...still scoff at the idea but I feel they are too focused on recent wins and losses to see the bigger picture.

I find the dichotomy here interesting...while it appears most of you would favor a Big 12 move or any move that secures Tulane's seat at the big-boy table, it also appears many are so down on the current direction and results of "on the field/court" that dreaming of a P5 conference move seems silly. I would say don't sell short your appeal...especially if you think like a university president or chancellor or board member. In the end - athletic directors and football coaches do not call the shots.

I and many like me find Tulane vastly appealing for many of the reasons you all have already discussed.

- There are few places in the country better for football and frankly no city better to showcase your football in than New Orleans. People like to bring up the NOLA is a shrinking market and there aren't that many TV sets. But the Big 12 model is not cable-based like the B1G or SEC. There may eventually be a B12 TV when the Longhorn Network gets folded into a conference network but we aren't there yet. But New Orleans is not about TV sets...its a destination. It would give the Big 12 a fabulous new road trip destination and the thought of two Big 12 teams playing the Big 12 Championship Game in the Superdome under the nose of the SEC is absolutely delicious. And Louisiana ain't a bad place to recruit that's for sure.

- Tulane, unlike a lot of candidates has some characteristics that define it as a peer university to existing members. What I mean by that is not just academics (which I will get to) - what I mean is Tulane is a beautiful, traditional university campus that has been a respected institution of higher learning and research for a long, long time. Other schools like Cincinnati, South Florida and Houston are ramping up their research, beefing up their academics and making in-roads to their "commuter school" identities. But they aren't there yet. There's a prestige factor - and yes, when you get up to the rarified air of presidents from power schools...there's a vanity that comes with the territory. Tulane can feed that vanity. Pardon the clumsy analogy but if these schools were females...Tulane may have the smallest chest but she would also have the most sophistication. She's the girl a university president would choose because he can bring her to the big gala and not be embarrassed. A football coach or casual fan may stump for the giant knockers on Houston or Memphis but they aren't calling the shots.

- There's not much to say about academics except that there is no contest. Rice if you could consider them a contender. But most of us don't want any more Texas schools. After losing FOUR AAU schools in the last round and now even trailing the SEC in AAU members (our only three left are Texas, Kansas and Iowa State) - I think that is important. Now - the twist would be for the league to say "hose it" and just add purely for football...but I don't think that is a good long-term strategy.

- Make no mistake...for your first many years in the Big 12 - your express purpose IS to be a bottom-feeder. A lot of people IMO are missing the mark when they suggest teams with the best W-L record over the last X years. We have lots of good teams (my school NOT being one of them in recent times!) - what we need are more wins for our best teams and a CCG. Big 12 schedule and presence will help you tremendously in the long run but we don't want you because you are an immediate threat to anybody.

- Most of all...adding you will not weaken the brand image of our league. Again...think like a president not a football coach. In 10 years when the Big 12 GOR is up...Texas may leave no matter what transpires or the entire NCAA structure could get blown up. But there's a better chance they stick around if their peers are are Tulane and Navy than Houston and Central Florida. That's how I view it anyways. Who do they want to associate themselves with? Who do I want the University of Kansas associated with? Football wins, recruiting, stadiums...those kinds of things are not easy to change...but they are easier to change than the perception of your university as a whole.

The Big 12 already hose the pooch because there are no perfect candidates left. BYU is full of self-important weirdos and is in the wrong direction. Cincinnati is nice but not super compelling. Connecticut is in the northeast and not sure why we want to go there. Memphis has location...and not much else. UCF has a nice thing going and a huge enrollment but I just don't think that its going to excite the President of the University of Texas to be sharing brand with a directional school that was formed like 8 hours ago. Houston is in Texas and I don't want to be in the SWC 2.0 and I doubt many league members do either. If the Big 12 is really going to get innovative and think outside the box - I think Tulane is in a great position. Problem is...I don't trust league leadership to do something bold.

Anyways...long and rambling but it's a beautiful campus in an amazing city and if it were up to me, I'd be all about Tulane to the Big 12.
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cajunfanatico wrote:This from across the street. Is he real or just Green Wave in disguise?
Hey guys - Kansas Jayhawk alumnus here...just lurking to get the pulse of you folks and the possibility of the Big 12 expanding. I will say the idea of Tulane is gaining traction on Big 12-specific fan forums. Some...many...still scoff at the idea but I feel they are too focused on recent wins and losses to see the bigger picture.

I find the dichotomy here interesting...while it appears most of you would favor a Big 12 move or any move that secures Tulane's seat at the big-boy table, it also appears many are so down on the current direction and results of "on the field/court" that dreaming of a P5 conference move seems silly. I would say don't sell short your appeal...especially if you think like a university president or chancellor or board member. In the end - athletic directors and football coaches do not call the shots.

I and many like me find Tulane vastly appealing for many of the reasons you all have already discussed.

- There are few places in the country better for football and frankly no city better to showcase your football in than New Orleans. People like to bring up the NOLA is a shrinking market and there aren't that many TV sets. But the Big 12 model is not cable-based like the B1G or SEC. There may eventually be a B12 TV when the Longhorn Network gets folded into a conference network but we aren't there yet. But New Orleans is not about TV sets...its a destination. It would give the Big 12 a fabulous new road trip destination and the thought of two Big 12 teams playing the Big 12 Championship Game in the Superdome under the nose of the SEC is absolutely delicious. And Louisiana ain't a bad place to recruit that's for sure.

- Tulane, unlike a lot of candidates has some characteristics that define it as a peer university to existing members. What I mean by that is not just academics (which I will get to) - what I mean is Tulane is a beautiful, traditional university campus that has been a respected institution of higher learning and research for a long, long time. Other schools like Cincinnati, South Florida and Houston are ramping up their research, beefing up their academics and making in-roads to their "commuter school" identities. But they aren't there yet. There's a prestige factor - and yes, when you get up to the rarified air of presidents from power schools...there's a vanity that comes with the territory. Tulane can feed that vanity. Pardon the clumsy analogy but if these schools were females...Tulane may have the smallest chest but she would also have the most sophistication. She's the girl a university president would choose because he can bring her to the big gala and not be embarrassed. A football coach or casual fan may stump for the giant knockers on Houston or Memphis but they aren't calling the shots.

- There's not much to say about academics except that there is no contest. Rice if you could consider them a contender. But most of us don't want any more Texas schools. After losing FOUR AAU schools in the last round and now even trailing the SEC in AAU members (our only three left are Texas, Kansas and Iowa State) - I think that is important. Now - the twist would be for the league to say "hose it" and just add purely for football...but I don't think that is a good long-term strategy.

- Make no mistake...for your first many years in the Big 12 - your express purpose IS to be a bottom-feeder. A lot of people IMO are missing the mark when they suggest teams with the best W-L record over the last X years. We have lots of good teams (my school NOT being one of them in recent times!) - what we need are more wins for our best teams and a CCG. Big 12 schedule and presence will help you tremendously in the long run but we don't want you because you are an immediate threat to anybody.

- Most of all...adding you will not weaken the brand image of our league. Again...think like a president not a football coach. In 10 years when the Big 12 GOR is up...Texas may leave no matter what transpires or the entire NCAA structure could get blown up. But there's a better chance they stick around if their peers are are Tulane and Navy than Houston and Central Florida. That's how I view it anyways. Who do they want to associate themselves with? Who do I want the University of Kansas associated with? Football wins, recruiting, stadiums...those kinds of things are not easy to change...but they are easier to change than the perception of your university as a whole.

The Big 12 already hose the pooch because there are no perfect candidates left. BYU is full of self-important weirdos and is in the wrong direction. Cincinnati is nice but not super compelling. Connecticut is in the northeast and not sure why we want to go there. Memphis has location...and not much else. UCF has a nice thing going and a huge enrollment but I just don't think that its going to excite the President of the University of Texas to be sharing brand with a directional school that was formed like 8 hours ago. Houston is in Texas and I don't want to be in the SWC 2.0 and I doubt many league members do either. If the Big 12 is really going to get innovative and think outside the box - I think Tulane is in a great position. Problem is...I don't trust league leadership to do something bold.

Anyways...long and rambling but it's a beautiful campus in an amazing city and if it were up to me, I'd be all about Tulane to the Big 12.
Uh huh......a Jayhawk alum......more like a Blue Jay (Jesuit type) :lol:
Fred Dowler
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cajunfanatico wrote:This from across the street. Is he real or just Green Wave in disguise?
Hey guys - Kansas Jayhawk alumnus here...just lurking to get the pulse of you folks and the possibility of the Big 12 expanding. I will say the idea of Tulane is gaining traction on Big 12-specific fan forums. Some...many...still scoff at the idea but I feel they are too focused on recent wins and losses to see the bigger picture.

I find the dichotomy here interesting...while it appears most of you would favor a Big 12 move or any move that secures Tulane's seat at the big-boy table, it also appears many are so down on the current direction and results of "on the field/court" that dreaming of a P5 conference move seems silly. I would say don't sell short your appeal...especially if you think like a university president or chancellor or board member. In the end - athletic directors and football coaches do not call the shots.

I and many like me find Tulane vastly appealing for many of the reasons you all have already discussed.

- There are few places in the country better for football and frankly no city better to showcase your football in than New Orleans. People like to bring up the NOLA is a shrinking market and there aren't that many TV sets. But the Big 12 model is not cable-based like the B1G or SEC. There may eventually be a B12 TV when the Longhorn Network gets folded into a conference network but we aren't there yet. But New Orleans is not about TV sets...its a destination. It would give the Big 12 a fabulous new road trip destination and the thought of two Big 12 teams playing the Big 12 Championship Game in the Superdome under the nose of the SEC is absolutely delicious. And Louisiana ain't a bad place to recruit that's for sure.

- Tulane, unlike a lot of candidates has some characteristics that define it as a peer university to existing members. What I mean by that is not just academics (which I will get to) - what I mean is Tulane is a beautiful, traditional university campus that has been a respected institution of higher learning and research for a long, long time. Other schools like Cincinnati, South Florida and Houston are ramping up their research, beefing up their academics and making in-roads to their "commuter school" identities. But they aren't there yet. There's a prestige factor - and yes, when you get up to the rarified air of presidents from power schools...there's a vanity that comes with the territory. Tulane can feed that vanity. Pardon the clumsy analogy but if these schools were females...Tulane may have the smallest chest but she would also have the most sophistication. She's the girl a university president would choose because he can bring her to the big gala and not be embarrassed. A football coach or casual fan may stump for the giant knockers on Houston or Memphis but they aren't calling the shots.

- There's not much to say about academics except that there is no contest. Rice if you could consider them a contender. But most of us don't want any more Texas schools. After losing FOUR AAU schools in the last round and now even trailing the SEC in AAU members (our only three left are Texas, Kansas and Iowa State) - I think that is important. Now - the twist would be for the league to say "hose it" and just add purely for football...but I don't think that is a good long-term strategy.

- Make no mistake...for your first many years in the Big 12 - your express purpose IS to be a bottom-feeder. A lot of people IMO are missing the mark when they suggest teams with the best W-L record over the last X years. We have lots of good teams (my school NOT being one of them in recent times!) - what we need are more wins for our best teams and a CCG. Big 12 schedule and presence will help you tremendously in the long run but we don't want you because you are an immediate threat to anybody.

- Most of all...adding you will not weaken the brand image of our league. Again...think like a president not a football coach. In 10 years when the Big 12 GOR is up...Texas may leave no matter what transpires or the entire NCAA structure could get blown up. But there's a better chance they stick around if their peers are are Tulane and Navy than Houston and Central Florida. That's how I view it anyways. Who do they want to associate themselves with? Who do I want the University of Kansas associated with? Football wins, recruiting, stadiums...those kinds of things are not easy to change...but they are easier to change than the perception of your university as a whole.

The Big 12 already hose the pooch because there are no perfect candidates left. BYU is full of self-important weirdos and is in the wrong direction. Cincinnati is nice but not super compelling. Connecticut is in the northeast and not sure why we want to go there. Memphis has location...and not much else. UCF has a nice thing going and a huge enrollment but I just don't think that its going to excite the President of the University of Texas to be sharing brand with a directional school that was formed like 8 hours ago. Houston is in Texas and I don't want to be in the SWC 2.0 and I doubt many league members do either. If the Big 12 is really going to get innovative and think outside the box - I think Tulane is in a great position. Problem is...I don't trust league leadership to do something bold.

Anyways...long and rambling but it's a beautiful campus in an amazing city and if it were up to me, I'd be all about Tulane to the Big 12.
The Big 12 would invite a new member to join just so that they could be adding a bottom-feeder program, would they? Now, seriously, what college president or chancellor in their right mind, given this whole argument that "college presidents, not athletics directors, are going to be making this decision and that's a big deal," would flat out ignore their athletics director who would be pointing out the effect of said decision on their college's financial bottom line?
Tulane sports: small football stadium, very small basketball arena, w̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶s̶, h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ , but, hey, now there's tailgating.
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